All Kidding Aside,Ma!We loved you anyway.

I have to admit,looking in the mirror,at 80 whole yrs.that I`ve been here,& wonder,as most of us women,sooner or later, kind of turn into our mothers.
Boy,did she use her charm,-Yeah,at every turn,(to her advantage)!! At the butchers,she`d curse at the government.But,at each holiday,she sang "God Bless America" the loudest of anyone...Never mind that she entered the U.S.A.at 16,couldn`t speak English,but found work, sewing clothing,in New York.Met a man, & married him. Had a child, but the husband died.
At the time they had moved to Detroit,Michigan.Her husband`s cousin was available,& she had an eye for him.She said one thing,& he told us another...She hid his coat,on a cold winter`s day-then married him.(need I say more)?
While I was one of five,Pa never said much, because she was the dominent one-got things done,though he`d never admit it.If there was a chance for money-there she was,no matter how little.
During the prohibition,a lot of people were inspired to make liquor,of some kind.The bottles were hid under beds,& other places.Ma got her way,threatening Pa with a broom to eradicate the booze,if things did`nt go her way.
Usually,not because she wanted her way,but because she was savy,& he had the devil may care attitude,that didn`t amount to much, but at least had a good work ethic.
Ma,also had boarders,& she chose the ones with good jobs,get them drinking,dancing,flipping quarters,nichols & dimes under my feet,while I danced,to the accordion they played,& they had some joy,during dark days,before the great depression.
I noticed that ,so much later,when they came to our new house.She`d tell them it was my birthday. She`s poke them with her elbow, c*ck her head in my direction & say, "give here something, it`s her birthday".them wink at them...and at the age of 5-10,how many birthdays could a little kid have?-
!Twenty dollars was a lot,but it was immediately snached out of my hand, while she said "You too young"..
..Then,meals were always made for neighbors, when there was a death or celebration in someone`s family,-she had heart, too. But after a conversation she had with the mayor, she`d only deal with the top-brass...she had trees removed,& didn`t need the leaves.Imagine,taking all that trouble to rake leaves(that weren`t hers,to the neigbor`s front yard,because they belonged to them)& they should clean them up....again!!!!!
She was diligent in every decision,she made. That was Ma.I copied the diligence,but I`m afraid that the deception was a little too much.God love her..just before she passed on,her words to us,(& all can remember):"just love each other".